Inside Bristol City’s Austria training camp as out-of-contract star appears

Bristol City coach Jason Euell believes the team are continuing to make progressions as they continue their pre-season camp in Austria.

The first-team squad along with several players drafted in from the Under-21 are out in Austria, for a week-long trip, which will put them in good stead for the 2023/24 season. The Robins trained in Austria last year, and it’s a destination Nigel Pearson favoured during his time at Leicester City, and helped him turn the Foxes into a Championship-winning side.

Three early bits of transfer business in the form of Rob Dickie, Ross McCrorie, and Haydon Roberts have helped build on the foundations that Nigel Pearson has been building for the last two and a half years. Bristol City finished 10 points off of sixth-placed Sunderland, who had only won promotion last year, but their finish, along with the success of Luton Town, and the respectable campaign of Coventry City has provided them with motivation to succeed this season.

As seen from Robins TV, this is working as a team building excercise, with players cycling to and from training. Players are also undergoing double training sessions with one in the morning and then in the afternoon.

“I’m really enjoying it and we keep talking about last season and the progressions we were making,” said Euell about the pre-season training camp during an interview with the clubs media team.

“Even with the early start now we’re seeing good signs of progression. It’s just knowing that you’re working with good people and good players.

"Ultimately it’s wanting them to do well and the club to do well. We’ve come in a very positive footing knowing where we want to go come the end of the season and what we want to do. It’s a great place to do it and putting that into action.

"They’re looking in good spirits and enjoying what they’re doing, encouraging each other, and as staff, it’s been good to see them not just so much what we’re asking to do but the things they know they need to do. We’re not having to ask too much it’s just more about them having their standards and quality and keeping their levels up all the time."

Euell was brought into Bristol City last year, after leaving Charlton Athletic last summer. The 46-year-old worked under Nigel Pearson as a player at Southampton, and after retiring in 2012, turned to coaching. He has been credited with helping the careers of the likes of Champions League winner Joe Gomez, as well as Ademola Lookman who has gone on to play in the Bundesliga and is now in Serie A with Atalanta.

The three-time Jamaica international is the youngest out of Nigel Pearson (59) and, Curtis Fleming (54) on the coaching staff but has opened up on the dynamic. He was keen to state that all three men have different ideas, and that sharing them is positive for the team.

He said: "For me, being the younger one out of the three it’s helping my learning, but it’s also me giving them something different. Our skills coming together to try and not always be yes men, it’s about changing opinions or throwing opinions in there and different ideas.

"The balance has been going well, for us as ourselves to do a little bit more like all the players just to get us over that line, it’s what we want. Even if it’s sixth or one or two, even better. We’re just working every day to get better along with Nige, Flem, and all the other staff here."

One thing to note is that Andy King is out with the squad in Austria, despite there being an uncertainty over his contract. His one-year deal expired last week, and Pearson was keen for him to remain, given his importance to the dressing room.

The 34-year-old is also considered a member of the coaching staff, but his appearance on the continent hints that he is not yet making the step into retirement.